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I am currently knee deep in a project to configure data mappings for healthcare ETL processes. Although there are standard formats for every exchange of healthcare information, the new core system needs some TLC to make all of the data flow correctly into and out of the system. The best …
We recently enjoyed “Importance of Ignorance” – a presentation from Professor Daniel M. Berry at the University of Waterloo. Professor Berry makes the case that the most effective team includes someone who is ignorant of the subject matter content. My own experiences provide support for this idea. As consultants, we …
The value of notes can not be under emphasized. While facilitating a session with a customer, the discussion typically contains a large amount of useful data that needs to be recorded. Although we would like to think that our brains are infallible pinnacles of data retention, the reality is that …
An important lesson for business analysts about non-functional requirements follows… After several months of configuring a core system upgrade for a health insurance company, it came time to test EDI membership files. The legacy system had been handling these files for years without much of a hitch. Since the new …
What’s it like for business analysts to make order out of software requirements chaos? One summer during high school, I worked for the maintenance department at a building that housed a public-facing government agency. Normal duties included maintaining the grounds to keep up appearances. One day, I got on the Gator to …
With the heavily influential role that business analysts play in software development, it is worth investigating the opportunities for certification. Here is a short list to get you thinking of where to start when searching for a program that best recognizes your skills. The International Institute of Business Analysis offers …
For an IT product manager, the proliferation of hardware platforms can be either a blessing or a curse. The enlightened development team sees the multitude of options as an opportunity to reach more customers with their product. Customers expect consistency when using a product, regardless of the platform. The key …
You’re a business analyst with an almost infinite supply of ideas and feedback, struggling with the practical limitations of sharing your thoughts. If collaboration is the lifeblood of innovation, then you may as well be an “innovampire,” desperately seeking access to that collaborative lifeblood before sunrise. Are the written communication …
Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to look back and be grateful for what I’ve learned from our clients and our projects. Here’s one such experience. As a summer project wound down, I realized my team had inadvertently carried out a long-term experiment. We had been working with the client’s business …
Call me crazy, but I’m of the opinion that all software projects need clearly defined requirements. This includes one-person projects. An aspiring, enterprising developer has just as much need for requirements as a large company implementing a global release. Now I know what you’re saying. Requirements are a way to communicate the …
